Ever wonder how those barbecue joints make such delicious barbecued brisket and ribs? If you’re trying to make it at home by slathering your meat with barbecue sauce it’s not going to be the same. Yes sauce matters, but the secret’s in the rub; the BBQ beef rub!

Of course you can buy all sorts of meat rubs from the supermarket, some are even pretty good. But if you want something outstanding nothing beats homemade. Oh and if you you’ve been rubbing dry spices on your meats try this little trick. Stir 2 tablespoons of rub into a tablespoon of olive oil then rub it on your meat. It makes a world of difference!

With summer in full swing it’s time to step up your grilling with this yummy BBQ Beef Rub! Use it on brisket, ribs, or even steaks!

Couple more tips before I give you my BBQ Beef Rub recipe.

Rub the olive oil mixture onto your meat and let it rest in the fridge for at least 2 hours.

Remove seasoned meat from fridge and let it sit on the counter for 30 minutes before grilling this brings meat temperature down to room temperature.

Grill covered until it almost reaches desired “doneness” then brush on BBQ Sauce. Grill until it’s almost to your desired doneness and place in covered pot. You see even if you remove the meat from the grill or oven the meat continues to cook for about 5 minutes. That’s why you want to remove the meat from the grill BEFORE it reaches the doneness you want. If you don’t remove the meat until it reaches the doneness you want you end up with over cooked dry meat.

Let meat rest in pot for 5 minutes before serving. The resting period seals in the juices and allows the meat to reach the desired doneness.

Having said that scroll down for my BBQ Beef Rub recipe! Happy Grilling!

One of our favorite food is Korean Kalbi, or barbecued beef short ribs. We usually order this at one of the local fast food Korean restaurants, but it’s pretty pricey; you get 3 thin short ribs, a couple of scoops of steamed white rice, and a choice of 4 side dishes (kim chee, bean sprouts, tofu, etc.) for a over $12 a plate.

My husband’s main complaint about the local restaurants isn’t the the price or the serving size of the kalbi, it’s about the flimsy plastic utensils they provide which usually snaps in half the moment you try to cut into the meat. Hence he has decided not to patronize any of the fast food style Korean barbecue joints.

There are sit down Korean restaurants where you can grill your own meats, the meal comes with many side dishes, soup, and steamed rice; but they also come with a hefty price tag. The last time my girlfriend and I stopped at one for lunch it cost us a little bit over $65, and that’s without drinks or tip! Not to mention that was the least expensive barbecue dish on the menu! The food was good, specially the kalbi, but I’m sure we won’t be repeating it often.

To solve all these issues I’ve found a great Korean Kalbi recipe to make at home. I make it of our Sunday barbecue and it was a big hit with my family. I used thin cut boneless beef short ribs which I threaded on to bamboo skewers to make them into kebabs. You can use bone-in short ribs and don’t have to thread them on to skewers, I do however recommend that you use the thinner cuts so that the marinade will infuse the meat better.

I served this with steamed white rice, macaroni salad, and kim chee cabbage; it was even better than the plates we get at the Korean restaurants at less than half the price! (The short ribs cost $6.97 a pound, if you get the thin cut that’s 6 short ribs).

Another way to serve this is on small white corn tortillas with shredded cabbage, just like the Korean Kalbi Tacos from the food truck in L.A.! We served it this way for my mom’s 80th. birthday party a few years ago.

Just in time for your Labor Day barbeque! Here’s my recipe!

Boneless Beef Short Rib Kalbi Kebabs

Makes 18 skewers

Ingredients:

3 lbs. thin cut boneless beef short ribs (you should get 18 short ribs. You can use bone-in ribs if you prefer)

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 tbls. fresh ginger – finely grated

1/4 cup sesame oil

2 tbls. minced garlic

1 tbls. white sesame seeds

1 tbls. black sesame seeds

2 stalks green onions – chopped

Directions:

1. Cut short ribs into thirds if you will be threading them on to skewers, if not then don’t cut them.

2. Combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Mix until sugar dissolves.

3. Pour marinade into large ziplock bag.

4. Put meat into marinade and marinate in the fridge overnight.

5. Thread meat on to skewers and barbecue on the grill to desired doneness. If you’re not making kebabs then cook ribs on the grill until done.

Serve hot immediately off the grill.

Looking for more grilling inspiration? Check out PersonalCreations.com and see how people grill around the world!

I’m not a big fan of barbeque sauce, specially the bottled varieties. But every so often I get hungry for that sweet and tangy sauce that’s slathered on chicken, as long as it doesn’t result in in sticky greasy grill that’s so difficult to clean. My answer to this is my Oven Baked Barbeque Chicken using my simple homemade barbeque sauce.

I’ve been making this Baked Barbeque Chicken for years. The sauce is simple and can be mixed up in just a couple of minutes. It’s sweet and tangy and very delicious. I use it on short ribs too! My family loves it!

For this recipe I use bone-in chicken thighs. I’ve tried it on chicken breasts but it gets dry and doesn’t soak up the sauce the way thighs do.

Here’s the recipe!

Ingredients:

8 Bone-in Chicken Thighs

1 Onion, sliced

1 Tbsp. Garlic Powder

1 Cup Ketchup

1 Cup Brown Sugar

1 Bottle of Beer, any type

Directions:

Clean and arrange chicken thighs in oven proof pan.

Arrange onion slices around chicken thighs.

Sprinkle Garlic Powder over all and set aside.

Mix Ketchup, Brown Sugar, and Beer together in a mixing bowl until sugar dissolves.

Pour sauce over chicken thighs.

Bake in 350 degree oven for 45 – 60 minutes or until chicken is done.

Serve with corn on the cob, baked potatoes, or your choice of side dishes.

Tocino is a cured process meat product famous and native in Philippines. We got this dish from the Spanish who dominated Philippines for long time ago. Tocino is a Spanish word which is used to describe cured meats. It is made from beef, chicken or “Pork Tocino”. The preparation is quite similar to bacon and ham. It is often reddish in color and has a sweet and savory taste.

Today, I will give you my version of Pork Tocino (Sweet Cured Pork) Homemade Recipe! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 kilo pork belly (ham, butt or shoulder) cut into ¼ inch thin

¼ cup fruit juice (pineapple, apple) – optional

¼ tsp. natural red food coloring –optional

¾ cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. rice vinegar

3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 tbsp. soy sauce

11/2 tbsp. salt

½ tbsp. finely ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine all ingredients except for the pork slices in a big bowl and mix until well blended.

Add the pork and mix together using hand gloves to avoid stains then mix for several minutes to an hour.

Transfer to a container with cover and let it sit overnight.

Mix again for a couple of times before putting in the fridge. Cure for 24 hours or up to
3 days.

And it’s ready to cook. You can cook and stir it with or without cooking oil. It’s up to you.

Tamarind or Sampalok in Filipino dialect is widely used ingredient in South East Asian countries like Malaysia, Thailand, Singapore and including Philippines. Mostly used for making soups and sauces. The sweet, sour and fruity taste gives a unique flavor in dishes like for example our famous Filipino signature dish “Sinigang”. This ingredient can also be used in drinks and sweets like.

This recipe is simple and very easy to prepare. It’s a simple concoction of tamarind and sugar rolled into balls. Today, I will give me my version of Sampalok Candy (Tamarind Candy) Recipe. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup tamarind pulp

400g sweet potato, boiled

1-2 tbsp. chilli flakes (optional)

3 cups sugar

2 cups water

1/4 tsp. salt or salt to taste

Directions:

Mix all ingredients together in a pan over medium heat except salt and cook until the mixture becomes thick and can hold its shape when formed into balls.

Set aside for a while to cool down the mixture.

In a plate, mix sugar and a little bit of salt.

And form the mixture into small balls and roll it into the sugar salt mixture.